Research foods and food ingredients that are best for middle schoolers ad high schoolers health and learning, then present our findings to the World Wise Community.
Action Plan
1. Research food and food ingredients (each person in the group researches something else) - William ~ Nuts, Legume and Egg - Owen ~ Fruits and Vegetables - Carey ~ Meat - Harry ~ Sweets - Emile ~ Carbohydrates Due: March 18
2. Wrap up research and present it on our wiki (each person makes a short paragraph summarizing their food) Due: March 25
3. Set up meeting with WWC via first class (Harry) Due: March 25
4. Have meeting with WWC (all) Due: April 15
5. Have second meeting with WWC and packaging group (this meeting was planned during our first meeting) (all) Due: April 22
6. Put up proof on the wiki (Emile) Due: April 24
Research
Emile (carbohydrates) - Carbohydrates are always composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The human body's main source for energy comes from carbs. The body breaks down the carbs into glucose which then is put into cells and becomes energy. This process is called metabolism. Humans receive their carbs from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, candy and soft drinks. But not all of these foods are good choices. There are three different types of carbs; fiber carbs, complex carbs and simple carbs. Simple carbs, refined carbs and white carbs are all the same thing. Simple carbs are broken down into glucose faster and last less time as energy. Simple carbs include white rice, candies and soft drinks. Complex carbs are broken down slower and last long as energy. They are generally less fattening. Whole grains are an example of complex carbs. Fiber is indigestible meaning that it can't be broken down into anything (fat or energy) but fiber helps with weight control and heart, colon health. Out of the three types of carbohydrates, most health institutes recommend complex carbs. As always though physical activity is the way you want to go to a healthy lifestyle with good weight management.
Owen (fruits and vegetables) - Fruits and vegetables are need in the human body, everyone should at least have 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day. Fruits and vegetables create a lower chance of chronic disease, certain fruits and vegetables have different colors containing different amounts of plant compounds. These compounds act as a antioxidant to protect the body from harmful diseases such as cancer. There are a variety fruits and vegetables, each caring a different set of vitamins, minerals, and fibre. The minerals, vitamins, and fibre help with digestive problems as well as to stay healthy.
Will (nuts) -
The healthiest nut for your brain is the Walnut. Surprisingly, it looks like a brain! It is high in Omega (Ω) 3 fatly acid. It improves cognitive performance and protects you from cognitive decline. Almonds and hazelnuts are sources of vitamin E andf they help with long term andshort term memory. Peanuts are high in niacin and generally but lots of people are allergic to them so we might not have them in the cafeteria next year.
Carey (meats) -
I think we should suggest that they put lean meat on the menu and more chicken than beef and pork since they contain higher levels of fat. Chicken is healthier because contains lower levels of fat. meat also contains doses of minerals we need such as protein (produces enzymes and is neededfor many body functions), long chain omega 3 fatty acids (for brain power), Iron (for muscle strength and memory), B 12 (for blood cells) , and vitamin D (for strong bones).
Grass fed cows and free range chicken are more nutrious since industrially farmed cows and chickens are often fed high doses of antibiotics and are fed grains which make the meat contain a higher level of saturated fats (the "bad" fats that can make you obese).
Harry (sweets) -
Sugars found in in vegetables, grains and fruit are good for you. However, processed sugars (made by machines) found in sodas, candies, cereals, biscuits, cakes, icing, etc. are harmful to your health and can lead to obesity and diseases.
How does sugar impact health?
Too much sugar leads to weight gain because food with sugar contains lots of calories per portion. sugary food takes longer to make you feel full so you eat more and it tastes good so you eat more than you need. sodas containing sugar have high calories as well and make you gain weight.
Sugar causes tooth decay, heart disease and hurts your immune system (the system that helps you fight off sickness).
Some studies show that sugar causes hyperactivity. This means a lot of children who have sugar may have differences in behavior, attention span and learning ability.
Because of all these reasons it’s recommended to consume 100-150 calories of sugar a day.
WWC Meeting 2
This is our email we received from Kristine who works at WWC, it verifies the date of a meeting regarding healthy food.
Hi Harry
I would be very pleased to meet with you after Easter. I'm afraid I can't do 8 April and you mentioned 20 April (which is a Saturday!). Did you mean 22 April? In which case, yes, this date would be fine. Please let me know the best time for you.
Just to give you an update, you already know that we have the approval on the vending machines for installation in the middle/high school in Sai Kung. I have received a list of items that we can choose from for the vending machines, but this doesn't give any real information about the products. I'm waiting for Health Addiction to provide a list with pictures and more information about the products. In the meantime, I'm sending you their first list as a guide.
We can discuss this further when we meet but we will need to bear in mind other environmental criteria, as well as health, for example, we want the school to be a plastic-free zone, so no plastic bottles in the vending machines.
I'll look forward to hearing back from you regarding the date for us to get together.
Best regards,
Kristine
Drinks Food
Hi boys
I do apologise that it has taken some time to get back to you regarding the healthy vending machines for your obesity project. We now have confirmation from Mr Musco that there will be two healthy vending machines in the secondary school 'chill out' zone for the new campus in Sai Kung.
I am attaching some more information about the 'Health Addiction' vending machines for you to take a look at.
I am still awaiting a list of all the healthy snacks that are available from 'Health Addiction' that we can choose from to put in the machines. We would really appreciate your help and feedback before we finalise this list. We will be looking at what snacks are the most healthy, and also which packaging complies with the 'green' standards which we have set. For example, we don't want to offer any drinks in either plastic bottles or tetrapak (which can't be recycled in Hong Kong).
We will be in touch soon (hopefully the next few days) with the snack list which Health provides us with and will look forward to your feedback on this. I know that Mr Musco is working with you on this project andhe knows all about our mission to offer healthy snacks to students.
Well done for all your hard work so far!
Kristine
On behalf of the World Wise Committee
WWC Meeting 1
We have just had a meeting with Kristine Nudds from WWC. Mr. Musco was also contributing to the meeting, we discussed on what new foods would go in the new school. We are planning to have another meeting with the packaging group and a representative of the Health Addiction company to look at the packaging and at the ingredients of the foods we believe would help the school in different ways such as memory, focus, better grades, etc. We also talked about our presentation and possibly a tasting station with our food groups we researched and some of the foods we chose.
Reflections for Meeting 2 are on the reflection page.
Proof
On April 22nd our group had a meeting with Grace, a representative from WWC, and the packaging group and Mr. Musco. We tried out the food that is going to be in the vending machine in the new school. Most of the food tasted good!
S.M.A.R.T ACTION
Research foods and food ingredients that are best for middle schoolers ad high schoolers health and learning, then present our findings to the World Wise Community.Action Plan
1. Research food and food ingredients (each person in the group researches something else)- William ~ Nuts, Legume and Egg
- Owen ~ Fruits and Vegetables
- Carey ~ Meat
- Harry ~ Sweets
- Emile ~ Carbohydrates
Due: March 18
2. Wrap up research and present it on our wiki (each person makes a short paragraph summarizing their food)
Due: March 25
3. Set up meeting with WWC via first class (Harry)
Due: March 25
4. Have meeting with WWC (all)
Due: April 15
5. Have second meeting with WWC and packaging group (this meeting was planned during our first meeting) (all)
Due: April 22
6. Put up proof on the wiki (Emile)
Due: April 24
Research
Emile (carbohydrates) - Carbohydrates are always composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The human body's main source for energy comes from carbs. The body breaks down the carbs into glucose which then is put into cells and becomes energy. This process is called metabolism. Humans receive their carbs from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, candy and soft drinks. But not all of these foods are good choices. There are three different types of carbs; fiber carbs, complex carbs and simple carbs. Simple carbs, refined carbs and white carbs are all the same thing. Simple carbs are broken down into glucose faster and last less time as energy. Simple carbs include white rice, candies and soft drinks. Complex carbs are broken down slower and last long as energy. They are generally less fattening. Whole grains are an example of complex carbs. Fiber is indigestible meaning that it can't be broken down into anything (fat or energy) but fiber helps with weight control and heart, colon health. Out of the three types of carbohydrates, most health institutes recommend complex carbs. As always though physical activity is the way you want to go to a healthy lifestyle with good weight management.Owen (fruits and vegetables) - Fruits and vegetables are need in the human body, everyone should at least have 5 portions of fruits and vegetables a day. Fruits and vegetables create a lower chance of chronic disease, certain fruits and vegetables have different colors containing different amounts of plant compounds. These compounds act as a antioxidant to protect the body from harmful diseases such as cancer. There are a variety fruits and vegetables, each caring a different set of vitamins, minerals, and fibre. The minerals, vitamins, and fibre help with digestive problems as well as to stay healthy.
Will (nuts) -
The healthiest nut for your brain is the Walnut. Surprisingly, it looks like a brain! It is high in Omega (Ω) 3 fatly acid. It improves cognitive performance and protects you from cognitive decline. Almonds and hazelnuts are sources of vitamin E andf they help with long term andshort term memory. Peanuts are high in niacin and generally but lots of people are allergic to them so we might not have them in the cafeteria next year.
Carey (meats) -
I think we should suggest that they put lean meat on the menu and more chicken than beef and pork since they contain higher levels of fat. Chicken is healthier because contains lower levels of fat. meat also contains doses of minerals we need such as protein (produces enzymes and is neededfor many body functions), long chain omega 3 fatty acids (for brain power), Iron (for muscle strength and memory), B 12 (for blood cells) , and vitamin D (for strong bones).
Grass fed cows and free range chicken are more nutrious since industrially farmed cows and chickens are often fed high doses of antibiotics and are fed grains which make the meat contain a higher level of saturated fats (the "bad" fats that can make you obese).
Harry (sweets) -
Sugars found in in vegetables, grains and fruit are good for you. However, processed sugars (made by machines) found in sodas, candies, cereals, biscuits, cakes, icing, etc. are harmful to your health and can lead to obesity and diseases.
How does sugar impact health?
Too much sugar leads to weight gain because food with sugar contains lots of calories per portion. sugary food takes longer to make you feel full so you eat more and it tastes good so you eat more than you need. sodas containing sugar have high calories as well and make you gain weight.
Sugar causes tooth decay, heart disease and hurts your immune system (the system that helps you fight off sickness).
Some studies show that sugar causes hyperactivity. This means a lot of children who have sugar may have differences in behavior, attention span and learning ability.
Because of all these reasons it’s recommended to consume 100-150 calories of sugar a day.
WWC Meeting 2
This is our email we received from Kristine who works at WWC, it verifies the date of a meeting regarding healthy food.
Hi Harry
I would be very pleased to meet with you after Easter. I'm afraid I can't do 8 April and you mentioned 20 April (which is a Saturday!). Did you mean 22 April? In which case, yes, this date would be fine. Please let me know the best time for you.
Just to give you an update, you already know that we have the approval on the vending machines for installation in the middle/high school in Sai Kung. I have received a list of items that we can choose from for the vending machines, but this doesn't give any real information about the products. I'm waiting for Health Addiction to provide a list with pictures and more information about the products. In the meantime, I'm sending you their first list as a guide.
We can discuss this further when we meet but we will need to bear in mind other environmental criteria, as well as health, for example, we want the school to be a plastic-free zone, so no plastic bottles in the vending machines.
I'll look forward to hearing back from you regarding the date for us to get together.
Best regards,
Kristine
Drinks Food
Hi boys
I do apologise that it has taken some time to get back to you regarding the healthy vending machines for your obesity project. We now have confirmation from Mr Musco that there will be two healthy vending machines in the secondary school 'chill out' zone for the new campus in Sai Kung.
I am attaching some more information about the 'Health Addiction' vending machines for you to take a look at.
I am still awaiting a list of all the healthy snacks that are available from 'Health Addiction' that we can choose from to put in the machines. We would really appreciate your help and feedback before we finalise this list. We will be looking at what snacks are the most healthy, and also which packaging complies with the 'green' standards which we have set. For example, we don't want to offer any drinks in either plastic bottles or tetrapak (which can't be recycled in Hong Kong).
We will be in touch soon (hopefully the next few days) with the snack list which Health provides us with and will look forward to your feedback on this. I know that Mr Musco is working with you on this project andhe knows all about our mission to offer healthy snacks to students.
Well done for all your hard work so far!
Kristine
On behalf of the World Wise Committee
WWC Meeting 1
We have just had a meeting with Kristine Nudds from WWC. Mr. Musco was also contributing to the meeting, we discussed on what new foods would go in the new school. We are planning to have another meeting with the packaging group and a representative of the Health Addiction company to look at the packaging and at the ingredients of the foods we believe would help the school in different ways such as memory, focus, better grades, etc. We also talked about our presentation and possibly a tasting station with our food groups we researched and some of the foods we chose.Reflections for Meeting 2 are on the reflection page.
Proof
On April 22nd our group had a meeting with Grace, a representative from WWC, and the packaging group and Mr. Musco. We tried out the food that is going to be in the vending machine in the new school. Most of the food tasted good!